... ...
Local News, Sport Updates, Politics, Educational News, Religious etc.
The doctoring of vital documents that has to do with approvals of funds for various purposes in the Lagos State House of Assembly has begun on the orders of Speaker of the parliament, Mudashiru Obasa.
According to findings by SaharaReporters, the alteration of key documents was being done through the Clerk of the Assembly as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission begins its investigation into allegations of misappropriation of public funds by Obasa and other leaders of the parliament.
SaharaReporters in a series of well detailed reports backed with relevant documents had exposed how Obasa through different guises signed off various sums of money for himself and close allies in the Lagos Assembly.
In one of such reports, the online news medium exposed how Obasa operated over 64 bank accounts using different names to steal public funds.
The BVN: 2296663231, reveals that Obasa operates accounts with multiple names in Polaris Bank, Zenith Bank, Access Bank, Eco Bank Nigeria, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, United Bank for Africa, First City Monument Bank and Wema Bank.
To conceal his identity, the Speaker changed his name and date of birth in some of the accounts. See Also
Sahara Reporters "Money Is For Spending", Says Lagos Speaker, Obasa, In Response To Corruption Allegations 0 Comments 1 Month Ago
Aside from using Ajayi Mudashiru Obasa, he also used Obasa Abdulrahman Gbadunola and Gabriel Adedoyin Savage to register some of the bank accounts.
SaharaReporters had exposed how Obasa awarded contracts to himself using different companies owned by him and how he got the Assembly to approve N258m for printing of invitation cards for the inauguration of lawmakers two months after the event held.
Other reports also revealed how he approved N17m monthly to maintain his personal residence and guest house, and N53m from the state coffers to travel with his mistress to the United States of America.
It was also revealed that 19 lawmakers led by Obasa went for a women leadership programme and received N80m as estacode after returning from the programme.
Following the plethora of allegations against him and the demand by several civil society groups calling for an investigation into the scandal, the EFCC recently launched a probe on the matter especially after the public rejected the sham investigation carried out by the Lagos Assembly members to let Obasa off the hook.
Responding to calls for a probe last week, Zonal Head of the EFCC, Mohammed Rabo, disclosed that they will ensure all allegations against the Lagos Assembly Speaker were looked into with the aim of bringing him to justice if found culpable of financial misappropriation. See Also
Exclusive EXPOSED: 64 Bank Accounts Linked To BVN Of Lagos Assembly Speaker, Obasa 0 Comments 1 Month Ago
It was gathered that the anti-graft agency earlier this week quizzed some legislators in Lagos over the reported stealing of public funds by Obasa and his cronies in the parliament while some more members will appear before interrogators next week.
SaharaReporters gathered on Friday that the development has since sent panic across the camp of the Lagos Speaker, who is desperate to conceal any evidence available in order to save his political career.
“The Clerk’s office has become like Oluwole where documents are forged and altered in different forms. See Also
Sahara Reporters Lagos Assembly Speaker, Obasa, Confirms SaharaReporters Stories, Explains How Funds Were Spent 0 Comments 3 Weeks Ago
“Obasa and other principal lawmakers have been daily seeing to the alteration of financial records all in a bid to escape being realised by the EFCC. They are in serious panic because they fear that once the EFCC nails them for all the financial fraud that had been reported, it could mean the end of their political careers,” a source in the Assembly told SaharaReporters on Friday.
The leadership of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos and at the national level is believed to have given an express order to Obasa to clear his name or risk losing his position in the Assembly and party in general.
Desperate to meet that target, the Lagos Speaker is doing everything within his powers to ensure that he doesn’t go down with this scandal.
Corruption News AddThis : Disable advertisements :Fear has seized Ondo State Executive Council members as they await results of their COVID-19 tests.
Cabinet members were made to undergo a compulsory Coronavirus test after Governor Rotimi Akeredolu was confirmed to have contracted the virus earlier in the week.
Apart from Akeredolu, his wife, Betty, some of their aides and several other government officials have all been confirmed to have the virus.
On Thursday, Commissioner for Health in the state, Wahab Adegbenro, died of Coronavirus complications after being ill for a few days.
As a result of this development, cabinet members are now living in fear especially as they all await the outcome of the test conducted on them. See Also Breaking News BREAKING: Ondo State Governor, Akeredolu, Tests Positive For COVID-19 0 Comments 3 Days Ago
SaharaReporters gathered that apart from executive council members, lawmakers in the state also undertook the test and are also awaiting the outcome.
A source in government told our correspondent that almost everyone around the governor was now in fear as they do not know what the outcome of their own test result would be.
"I can confirm to you that nobody is resting in government and everyone who has undergone the COVID-19 test is just too scared.
"Like myself, I'm scared of the result because some of us have had close contacts with the governor and some cabinet members have already contracted the virus. Everyone is in fear,” the source said. See Also Breaking News BREAKING: Governor Akeredolu's Wife, Security Aides Test Positive For COVID-19 0 Comments 1 Day Ago
It was gathered that no fewer than four commissioners in Ondo State were presently in self-isolation after contracting the virus.
Commissioner for Information in the state, Mr Donald Ojogo, accused the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control of leaking the COVID-19 test results of high profile individuals and state government officials to the public.
PUBLIC HEALTH News AddThis : Disable advertisements :Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, Oyo State, on Thursday, July 2, 2020, convicted and sentenced an Internet fraudster, Olawale Ayomide Fadoju to 12 months imprisonment.
The convict, who hid under a pseudonym ‘April Rozell’ to dupe his victims online, was found guilty of criminal impersonation in a one count amended charge filed against him by the Ibadan Zonal Office of the EFCC.
The offence runs contrary to Section 22 (2)(b) (i & ii) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention e.t.c) Act, 2015.
Fadoju pleaded guilty to the charge following which prosecution counsel, Simon Ibekwute, urged the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
Beside the jail term, the convict will also reimburse to his victim the sum of $750 and forfeit his iPhone 6 phone being proceeds of crime to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
In a related development, the EFCC on Thursday arraigned 78-year-old Alhaji Sheik Rauf Temitope Mustapha for alleged N25m land fraud.
He was arraigned before Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan, on a 27-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence and issuance of dud cheque.
The victim, Akibest En-Konsult Limited, had alleged in a petition that the self-styled Muslim cleric collected the said sum for the procurement of 23 acres of land but failed to deliver it.
After agreeing to refund the money, he issued a dud cheque for a first installment refund of N3m.
One of the charges reads, "That you, Alhaji Sheik Rauf Temitope Mustapha on or about the 30th of October, 2017 within the Ibadan Judicial Division of this honourable court did issue a Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC cheque No. 00146244 dated the 31st October, 2017 in the sum of N3,000,000 to one Arkibest En-Konsult Limited in settlement of your financial obligations to them, which cheque upon presentation within three months of issuance was dishonoured by your bankers for lack of sufficient funds in the account to which its drawn and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(2)(b) of the dishonoured cheques (offences) Act, Cap D11, Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2014."
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges, prompting prosecution counsel Dr Ben Ubi, to ask the court for a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded in EFCC custody pending the determination of his bail application.
The judge granted the prayer of the prosecution and adjourned hearing on the bail application till Tuesday, July 7, 2020.
CRIME Legal News AddThis : Disable advertisements :A rights group, Movement for Socialist Alternative, has condemned the death sentence passed on three protesters and oil workers kicking against the 300 per cent increase in oil price in Iran.
The group said any attempt to carry out the pronouncement by the Iranian Supreme Court will show that the Iranian Government was not only dictatorial but tyrannical.
MSA while submitting a protest letter to the Iranian Ambassador to Nigeria at the embassy in Abuja, described the death sentence as undemocratic.
The group called for the stoppage of the execution of Amir-Hossein Moradi, Saeed Tamjidi and Mohammad Rajabi for expressing their democratic rights.
The group said, "We condemn strongly this attempt to criminalise protest and punish such by death. MSA believes it is the democratic rights of Moradi, Saeed and Rajabi and others who work in the oil refinery to protest present anti-democratic and undemocratic conditions in Iran.
"We equally demand the immediate and unconditional release of Moradi, Saeed and Rajabi defending their interest as peaceful protesters as workers.
"We believe that these detained workers have the right to unionise in order to defend their interest as workers, against the anti-labour, sharp practices carried out in many oil refineries that are capitalist oriented."
The three protesters were arrested during the protests in November 2019 and accused of joining the Mujahedin-e Khalq organization (MEK), which Iran has designated a terrorist organisation.
The three men remain under arrest in Iran by the country’s authorities.
International News AddThis : Disable advertisements :The Peoples Democratic Party has appointed Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State as Chairman of the National Campaign Council for the Edo State governorship election.
Also appointed was Adamawa State governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, as deputy chairman of the council.
“@OfficialPDPNig NWC appoints @GovWike as Edo State governorship election National Campaign Council Chairman.
“The deputy chairman is Adamawa State governor, Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Fintiri,” Kola Ologbondiyan, National Publicity Secretary of the party, disclosed via Twitter on Friday.
Incumbent governor of Edo, Godwin Obaseki, will be representing the PDP during the election scheduled for September 19.
Elections Politics Breaking News News AddThis : Disable advertisements :The Peoples Democratic Party has appointed Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State as Chairman of the National Campaign Council for the Edo State governorship election.
Also appointed was Adamawa State governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, as deputy chairman of the council.
“@OfficialPDPNig NWC appoints @GovWike as Edo State governorship election National Campaign Council Chairman.
“The deputy chairman is Adamawa State governor, Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Fintiri,” Kola Ologbondiyan, National Publicity Secretary of the party, disclosed via Twitter on Friday.
Incumbent governor of Edo, Godwin Obaseki, will be representing the PDP during the election scheduled for September 19.
Elections Politics Breaking News News AddThis : Disable advertisements :Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has suspended the Emir of Misau, Alhaji Ahmed Suleiman, following herdmen-farmers clash in Hardawa ward under Misau Local Government Area of the state which led to the killing of nine persons.
Also suspended alongside the emir are the district head of Chiromah and village head of Zadawa or his representative.
The governor had on Tuesday, suspended the Caretaker Chairman of Misau LGA, Yaro Gwaram, the deputy, Baidu Kafin-Misau, and his secretary, Usman Abdu, for their failure to stop the violence.
The clash was over ownership of land in the surrounding settlement where herders are located and had been grazing for several years even though the land belonged to government.
The land was to be converted to farming land by the local government, a development that did not go down well with the herders.
Tradition News AddThis : Disable advertisements :Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has suspended the Emir of Misau, Alhaji Ahmed Suleiman, following herdmen-farmers clash in Hardawa ward under Misau Local Government Area of the state which led to the killing of nine persons.
Also suspended alongside the emir are the district head of Chiromah and village head of Zadawa or his representative.
The governor had on Tuesday, suspended the Caretaker Chairman of Misau LGA, Yaro Gwaram, the deputy, Baidu Kafin-Misau, and his secretary, Usman Abdu, for their failure to stop the violence.
The clash was over ownership of land in the surrounding settlement where herders are located and had been grazing for several years even though the land belonged to government.
The land was to be converted to farming land by the local government, a development that did not go down well with the herders.
Tradition News AddThis : Disable advertisements :There was pandemonium on Friday at a new generation bank located along Sani Abacha Expressway in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, following the killing of a customer and carting away of an unspecified amount of money from the victim.
The three-man armed robbery gang, who arrived the premises of the bank in masks and inside a tinted car, shot dead the bank customer while coming out of the place with a bag suspected to contain some amount of money.
The murdered bank customer, who was later identified as Emmanuel Omomo, hails from Delta State and was into the sale of new naira notes at social events.
An eyewitness said, "Immediately the man entered a waiting tricycle (Keke), a masked gunman highlighted from a Toyota Camry car.
"On sighting the gunman, the victim ran out of the keke and moved towards the bush path behind the bank entrance where he was shot on the stomach. The gunman then shot him repeatedly on his abdomen before collecting the bag suspected of containing some amount of money, and zoomed off towards the popular Julius Berger roundabout in the waiting."
Contacted on the development, the spokesperson for the Bayelsa State Police Command confirmed the incident and said operatives of the command had launched a manhunt for the robbers.
There was pandemonium on Friday at a new generation bank located along Sani Abacha Expressway in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, following the killing of a customer and carting away of an unspecified amount of money from the victim.
The three-man armed robbery gang, who arrived the premises of the bank in masks and inside a tinted car, shot dead the bank customer while coming out of the place with a bag suspected to contain some amount of money.
The murdered bank customer, who was later identified as Emmanuel Omomo, hails from Delta State and was into the sale of new naira notes at social events.
An eyewitness said, "Immediately the man entered a waiting tricycle (Keke), a masked gunman highlighted from a Toyota Camry car.
"On sighting the gunman, the victim ran out of the keke and moved towards the bush path behind the bank entrance where he was shot on the stomach. The gunman then shot him repeatedly on his abdomen before collecting the bag suspected of containing some amount of money, and zoomed off towards the popular Julius Berger roundabout in the waiting."
Contacted on the development, the spokesperson for the Bayelsa State Police Command confirmed the incident and said operatives of the command had launched a manhunt for the robbers.
The Lagos State Government on Friday announced that students in Primary 6, Junior Secondary School 3 and Senior Secondary School 3 are to resume classes from Monday, August 3.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu made the announcement during a press briefing held at State House, Marina.
The governor directed that operators of public spaces and offices should deny entry to anyone without a mask.
The Federal Government had last week approved what it called “safe reopening” of schools nationwide in the next phase of the gradual easing of lockdown ordered to curtail further spread of COVID-19.
Schools all over Nigeria have been shut down since March in a bid to contain the spread of the Coronavirus.
The Lagos State Government on Friday announced that students in Senior Secondary School 3 and Tech III are to resume classes from Monday, August 3.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu made the announcement during a press briefing held at State House, Marina.
The governor directed that operators of public spaces and offices should deny entry to anyone without a mask.
The Federal Government had last week approved what it called “safe reopening” of schools nationwide in the next phase of the gradual easing of lockdown ordered to curtail further spread of COVID-19.
Schools all over Nigeria have been shut down since March in a bid to contain the spread of the Coronavirus.
Adegboye Olatunji, the suspended Students Union Government President of Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State, has been reabsorbed into the school system by the management of the institution.
The polytechnic authority announced the suspension of Olatunji following his arrest for alleged involvement in cult activities, which he denied.
The school suspended him without investigation nor trial by the panel of the institution.
But following the intervention of Action Committee made up of various students groups, a thorough investigation was launched and Olatunji was exonerated at the end of the day.
In a statement on Friday, Action Committee said, "It is in line with this that we demanded for the unconditional reinstatement of our comrade for he has not been convicted by the court at which the trial is ongoing.
"On Tuesday, 30th of June, 2020, the Action Committee represented by the NANS OGUN Chairman, NAOSS (Ogun) National President and TASUED Students Union President attended a meeting chaired by the Secretary to the State Government with the Director of DSS, SA to the governor on Security, Students Matters, Akeem Ambali (Ogun NLC ex-chairman) and Rector present.
"The committee presented three core demands of the struggle which are the unconditional reinstatement of his studentship, reinstatement as SUG President and withdrawal of trumped-up charges against our comrades. See Also News Student Union President Of Ilaro Polytechnic Threatens To Commit Suicide After Being Arrested For Alleged Cultism 0 Comments 1 Week Ago
"The meeting agreed that it has the power to call for his reinstatement as a student but shall leave the court to take its decision on the case before the magistrate.
"We believe it is in line with this the reinstatement by the institution was done.
"We appreciate the intervention of the state government, the DSS, Ambali and office of the SA on Students Matters to the governor for conveying this fruitful meeting.
"Our special gratitude goes to the ever radical Nigerian students who despite all odds have chosen to remain on the side of the truth unlike the impostors who came to sellout some days before.
"We continue to appreciate the intervention of NANS National which has made the struggle much easier.
"As the SA on Students Matters to the governor presents the letter of his studentship reinstatement to the Action Committee, we want to urge ever progressive Nigerian students and well-meaning Nigerians to remain resolute until a total victory is recorded.
"In this regard, we call on the progressive Nigerian students to come in solidarity to the Magistrate Court, Ifo Local Government Area, where our comrade shall appear for his defence on Friday, 10th of July, 2020."
Adegboye Olatunji, the suspended Students Union Government President of Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State, has been reabsorbed into the school system by the management of the institution.
The polytechnic authority announced the suspension of Olatunji following his arrest for alleged involvement in cult activities, which he denied.
The school suspended him without investigation nor trial by the panel of the institution.
But following the intervention of Action Committee made up of various students groups, a thorough investigation was launched and Olatunji was exonerated at the end of the day.
In a statement on Friday, Action Committee said, "It is in line with this that we demanded for the unconditional reinstatement of our comrade for he has not been convicted by the court at which the trial is ongoing.
"On Tuesday, 30th of June, 2020, the Action Committee represented by the NANS OGUN Chairman, NAOSS (Ogun) National President and TASUED Students Union President attended a meeting chaired by the Secretary to the State Government with the Director of DSS, SA to the governor on Security, Students Matters, Akeem Ambali (Ogun NLC ex-chairman) and Rector present.
"The committee presented three core demands of the struggle which are the unconditional reinstatement of his studentship, reinstatement as SUG President and withdrawal of trumped-up charges against our comrades. See Also
News Student Union President Of Ilaro Polytechnic Threatens To Commit Suicide After Being Arrested For Alleged Cultism 0 Comments 1 Week Ago
"The meeting agreed that it has the power to call for his reinstatement as a student but shall leave the court to take its decision on the case before the magistrate.
"We believe it is in line with this the reinstatement by the institution was done.
"We appreciate the intervention of the state government, the DSS, Ambali and office of the SA on Students Matters to the governor for conveying this fruitful meeting.
"Our special gratitude goes to the ever radical Nigerian students who despite all odds have chosen to remain on the side of the truth unlike the impostors who came to sellout some days before.
"We continue to appreciate the intervention of NANS National which has made the struggle much easier.
"As the SA on Students Matters to the governor presents the letter of his studentship reinstatement to the Action Committee, we want to urge ever progressive Nigerian students and well-meaning Nigerians to remain resolute until a total victory is recorded.
"In this regard, we call on the progressive Nigerian students to come in solidarity to the Magistrate Court, Ifo Local Government Area, where our comrade shall appear for his defence on Friday, 10th of July, 2020."
The man’s contradictory and controversial statements, especially with due regard to his revered position as a witness for Christ, are increasingly sounding like the Tower of Babel: discordant, cacophonous, confusing and confused!
Secondly, I believe that any realistic and responsible assessments of the latest dives into public policy and civil rights issues by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome of Christ Embassy Church are troubling. That is, putting it politely.
Third, it is as clear as the Texas sky that, unwittingly but sadly, I think the man is bent on establishing residence in the makeshift city of hypocrisy and lies; the city where discredited right-wing fiction and fabulistic nonsense are spread; and flourish….
Here’s the latest, toxic example — from only 3 days ago, last weekend of June 2020.
To the stinging amazement of the long-suffering and discriminated against Blacks, Pastor Oyakhilome claimed the current worldwide protests against the killing of George Floyd by police officers in the U.S. “It’s not about the guy that died; it’s not about ‘Black Lives Matter’, It’s part of the game. They want to come in with the alternative method for security – total control with microchips. That’s what it’s about…. Look at the people rampaging on the streets – they are not black people… It is not about racism…. Wearing face masks is dangerous for your health. How can we know this and prescribe it? I have told you of the dangers of social distancing. It’s inhuman… There is no science behind it.”
Fourth, to be sure, permit me to repeat the obvious: it’s all about 400 years of Racism! And Police killing Black boys as if they are children of a lesser God!!
Hence, the Pastor, like many others in Nigeria, speak in Trumpian convoluted and misguided distortion of the historical mission and civil rights trans-generational achievements of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Fifth, contrary to Pastor Chris’ claims, The Black Lives Matter movement cannot be said to be fighting for the implanting of chips RFDs into human bodies so that the security agencies can monitor the movement of every person or group of people.
It would have been funny were it not so revealing and serious. The fact is the Black Lives Matter movement is fighting and protesting against such Police State monitoring!!
No amount of spin can alter the fact that the Black Lives Matter movement created a juggernaut across multi-racial groups in the United States and around the world; more than any other person has done and more than any organization has shown the capacity!.
Sixth, the Nigerian-born religionist and businessman, born December 7, 1963, became globally notorious for arguing and preaching that coronavirus and related viruses (biological) were generated from the telephony towers of ultra-fast devices (wireless) radiation. I think it’s the maddening equivalence of yelling at the village square that your radio caused you diabetes!
With neither science nor the Bible offering him any validation of his first, major conspiracy theories, released via his April 5, 2020 video, Oyakhilome piously but misleadingly claimed 5G was the effort of unnamed “powerful forces” to build a “new world order”. and to “create the antichrist and go after the church of Jesus Christ.”
Seventh, without mincing words, increasingly and before our own eyes, we have witnessed and continue to see the sad spectacle of what I will call a pastoral self immolation! But I ask: who from his circle of close friends or within the congregation can muster the courage to tell the telegenic and gifted speaker the honest truth?
Eigth, as a student of power, social communications and political economy, it is my position that you should not fund the preachers and politicos who sing songs of anti-science and ideological backwardness . Those; singers of swine gospels of deceit and minimization of our people and our heritage. Mindlessly, they parrot the toxic agenda of white supremacists moonshine!
Finally, I am sure you’re asking the same question that I’m wondering: Why would any Nigerian or African Pentecostal, Anglican, Catholic priest, rabbi or imam champion messages of lies against the 21st century’s progressive anti-racism network and vanguard for the freedom and dignity and respect for persons of African heritage?
*Dr. Chido Nwangwu, the author of the November 2020 book, MLK, Mandela & Achebe: Power, Leadership and Identity, serves as Founder & Publisher of the first African-owned, U.S-based newspaper on the internet, USAfricaonline.com, and established USAfrica in 1992 in Houston. He is recipient of several public policy and journalism excellence honors, civic engagement and community empowerment awards and has appeared as an analyst on CNN and SKYnews. @Chido247